Elon Musk insists paralyzed people will one day 'walk again and use their arms normally' - after the first Neuralink patient plays chess via telepathy

Elon Musk's technological predictions may sometimes seem ripped straight from the pages of science fiction. 

And now the billionaire has made one of his most stunning claims yet, as he says his Neuralink brain chips will one day let paralyzed people walk again. 

His claims come as Neuralink shared a video of one of the first human patients playing chess telepathically.

The chip currently enables the brain to connect with computers, but Musk claims it could one day let the brain communicate with paralyzed parts of the body. 

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Musk wrote: 'Long term, it is possible to shunt the signals from the brain motor cortex past the damaged part of the spine to enable people to walk again and use their arms normally.'

Elon Musk said on X, formerly Twitter, that his Neuralink brain chip could be used in the future to help paralyzed patients regain control of their limbs and even walk again 

The Neuralink chip works by inserting very fine wires into parts of the brain to measure its activity. The device then sends these signals to computers which allows the patient to control them remotely 

The Neuralink brain chip has been in development since at least 2016 when Musk founded Neuralink as a medical research company.

However, it was only in January this year that the company revealed that the first human patients had received the implant.

In a livestream on X, a paraplegic man, Noland Arbaugh, 29, was shown using the Neuralink chip to play chess on his computer.

Mr Arbaugh has been paralyzed from the neck down since a 'freak driving accident' eight years ago.

However, after having a Neuralink chip implanted as part of the first wave of human trials, Mr Arbourgh is now able to directly interface with a computer.

'See that cursor on the screen? That's all me... it's all brainpower', Mr Arbourgh said as he moved his computer cursor from his wheelchair. 

Likening the ability to using 'The Force' from Star Wars, Mr Arbourgh explains that he used to love playing chess before the accident robbed him of his mobility.

He adds: 'This is one of the things that y'all have enabled me to do... I wasn't really able to do much the last few years.' 

The disabled man, who suffered a freak diving accident eight years ago that left him paralyzed from the shoulders down, successfully played chess online using only his mind 

Musk shared the livestream of paralyzed man Noland Arbaugh, 29, using the Neuralink chip to play chess using 'telepathy'

The Neuralink chip (pictured) is quite small compared to previous brain-computer-interface devices but still must be implanted surgically 

Musk had previously announced that the first human trials had shown 'promising neuron spike detection.'

However, this video offers the first real glimpse into how the brain chip might impact the lives of paralyzed patients. 

The chip itself works by embedding 64 thread-like electrodes into various sites on the brain.

These threads are able to record spikes in brain activity and send that data wirelessly to a computer which uses machine learning to interpret the brain activity.

On X, Musk announced that the first Neuralink patient was recovering well and that initial tests showed promise 

Musk has described the procedure as 'like replacing a piece of the skull with a smartwatch.' Pictured: A visual of what the electrodes will look like while implanted into the brain

To receive the chip, patients must have a small chunk of their skull removed so that a 'sewing-machine-like' robot surgeon can implant each of the threads.

Afterwards, the robot surgeon stitches up the hole, leaving only a small scar around the incision.

Musk claims that during the 30-minute operation patients do not need to go under general anaesthetic and should be able to return home the same day. 

Mr Arbourgh said the surgery was 'super easy' and there was 'nothing to be afraid of.' 

In the operation, a 'sewing robot' removes a small chunk of the skull, connects the thread-like electrodes to certain areas of the brain, stitches up the hole and the only visible remains is a scar left behind from the incision

Currently, the Neuralink chip functions as a 'brain-computer-interface', meaning it allows people to control a computer using their brain activity.

In Mr Arbourgh's case, as Neuralink engineer Bliss Chapman explained during the livestream, he can move a cursor by imagining or attempting to move his arms.

But, Musk now suggests that the chip might also be used to send signals from the brain to other parts of the body.

This would be especially useful for people with damage to the spinal cord and, Musk claims, could even allow them to regain use of their limbs.

Nolan Arbaugh (right, with a Neuralink engineer) has become the first person to ever use the Neuralink tech and says that the surgery to implant was 'nothing to be afraid of'

In theory, a signal in the motor cortex of the brain could be recorded by the brain chip and sent to a second device embedded lower down in the spine, below the damaged portion.

This device could then replicate or somehow reproduce the signal from the brain, triggering muscle activation in previously paralysed areas.

While this may seem far-fetched, there is already a growing number of real examples where this technique has been successful.

For instance, a team of Swiss neuroscientists used a 'digital bridge' to enable a paralyzed man to climb up stairs and walk more than 100m.

In another case, researchers used a similar technique to regain partial control of the hand muscles, allowing a paralyzed man to play Guitar Hero and pick up a drink. 

However, Musk has not yet given more details of how Neuralink plans to implement this technology or when it might be coming.

Despite its noble aspirations, Neuralink has not been without its controversies.

In particular, Musk's company has faced staunch criticism for its allegedly cruel treatment of lab animals including monkeys. 

As MailOnline exclusively revealed last month, the company houses thousands of animals for testing of the tech.

These experiments saw staffers drill holes into monkey's heads and fill them in with glue. 

Documents revealed that monkeys had operations on their skulls up to 10 times each before they were put down.

At least 1,500 animals were killed during the development of the chip including monkeys, pigs and sheep.